Summit meeting in Milan: The ‚ein&zwanzig’ jury selects the Best of Best

The ‘ein&zwanzig’ (“twenty-one”) awards were presented on 16 April on the occasion of Milan Design Week 2018 in Zona Tortona.

The 21 most innovative product and project ideas of talented international up-and-coming designers received this prestigious accolade. The climax of the event was the awarding of the Best of Best prize, which went to Berlin-based Sofia Souidi for the design of her Gradient lamp. All of the winning projects were on view at the ‘ein&zwanzig’ exhibition in Milan, from 17 until 22 April.

The international attention and prestige attached to the ‘ein&zwanzig’ awards is demonstrated by the response it attracted: 736 works from 60 countries covering the fields of design and lifestyle were submitted – 30 percent more than in the previous year. The 21 prize-winners were selected by a high-calibre international jury from the worlds of design and industry including top-class designers such as Konstantin Grcic, Stefano Giovannoni, Philipp Mainzer and Stephen Burks. "This year we were particularly drawn to projects that developed a completely new concept based on traditional technologies" said Andrej Kupetz, chairman of the jury and executive director of the German Design Council.

The German Design Council, the expert for brand and design in Germany, bestows the ‘ein&zwanzig’ awards. The competition promotes and supports talented young designers: Design students and graduates who are producing pioneering work in the fields of furniture, home accessories, lighting, floor coverings, wall coverings, textiles and lifestyle are eligible to enter. From among the submissions an international jury selected 21 outstanding works, one of which received the Best of Best award.

The German Design Council is one of the world’s leading centres of expertise in communication and knowledge transfer in the area of design.